Member of the Month: Mikim

How long have you been a member of TractorByNet.com?
Since 2001. It’s an almost daily routine for me to check in and check up on everyone and everything that’s happening in the TBN world.

What do you like best about TractorByNet.com?
The people on this site are very generous with their knowledge and foibles so we can all benefit from a vast baseline of deeds and misdeeds.

Everyone is helpful and no one looks down on the inexperienced and the “no such thing as a dumb question” is the norm as an attitude. It really helps to have a place to come to with those questions and get answers and ideas and not have to be afraid of ridicule.

What type of tractor do you own?
I have a 2001 New Holland TC45—no following letter. Back then it was a plain ol’ 45 or the TC45 Deluxe.

How long have you owned or operated tractors?
My first tractor was an 8N. I bought from my father-in-law because the family wanted him off it and he agreed to sell it to me so it would still be around. That was over 20 years ago.

Tell us about your family:
I met my wife in 1990 when my old truck broke down in front of her office and she loaned me a screwdriver to fix it with. I still carry that screwdriver in my truck. I was a single Dad with custody of 3, and she had 2 little girls. We combined families and have made it work for 24 years and counting.

How often do you use your tractor?
I use my tractor nearly every day. My life is all about the projects I do and they wouldn’t happen without the tractor. I’m presently putting up goat fence around 3 acres of pasture. We may or may not have goats, but I want the fence for whatever pasture pets we do end up with.

2001 New Holland TC45

In the picture, on the 3 point, is my carryall that currently has a genset, air compressor, and pneumatic T-post pounder on board—a real life saver to my arthritic shoulders.

I generally work alone as the wife is still in the workforce, so my tractor is my helper. I use it to hold the other end, lift whatever I can’t, and lift me when I can’t reach. It’s like a keyboard to a writer or a spatula to a cook—a tool I’ve learned I can’t live without. I don’t use it for crops or other traditional tractor uses, but for building this “homestead” that I’m working on, it’s priceless.

We just finished building and installing a new gate (shown in my avatar). My tractor came in handy for moving it from the shop, out to the entrance. That was a TBN project with several members in attendance.

Tell us about your property:
We have 20 acres here with a house I designed and had built; a shop, and a guest cabin that we call the TBN guest cabin. We bought it from txdon & Karen, moved it here, and several TBN members have stayed in it over the years. Mostly while it was still at txdon’s, but most recently Jim & Kathy Inman during our gate build just a few weeks ago.

Three years ago we had a terrible fire here in Bastrop County Texas and the cabin became home to a family of 5 that lost everything. They stayed about a month until they were able to find a real house to rent. It keeps grandkids happy when they come to visit and they can stay up as late as they like without disturbing their grandparents.

In the included picture of my tractor above, there are 2 plaques leaning on the front tire. One is from txdon’s bridge build in 2005, (or 2006), and the other is from Eddie Walker’s in 2007. These live on the porch at the TBN cabin. I consider the times I’ve joined other TBN members at meetings & projects we’ve done as some of the best times I’ve had in the last 13 years. Like Will Rogers, I have yet to meet any member from this site that I haven’t liked.

What’s something most TractorByNet members don’t know about you?
I’m retired Air Force, and also retired from the National Weather Service where I kept their radar and computers running so the meteorologists could do their crystal ball forecasting. I guess I was the ball polisher.

In Sept 2008 we had hurricane Ike wipe out Galveston. Everyone in our office was on 24 hour duty for several days and the eye went directly over us in the middle of the night. I’d been working for the past 18 hours, and was sleeping in my office, but when all went quiet, I woke up. I immediately knew what it was, and went back to sleep. The morning was going to bring a whole new work load. I retired 3 months later.

I feel quite honored receiving Member of the Month, but if you’re still taking nominations, I’d certainly like to place txdon & wrought-harv on the list. These are guys you can always count on to come running if you holler help. Don is a retired fire fighter out of Houston, but is very active in his small town volunteer fire department. Harv went to Haiti as a volunteer builder to help find an alternate way to build some fast and cheap housing. These are not “sit in your chair and veg out” retirees. They are the first to roll up their sleeves and “git-er-done”. They are an excellent reflection of the type of people that are members here and I am honored to be among them. Thank You.